This sheet are very much useful for straitening materials after welding

1. Method to Straighten Steel After
Welding
Table of Contents:
 Straightening the Bends
o Heat Straightening
You made the weld, and the bead looks pretty good. Then you notice it. That slight distortion in
the steel you just welded. As the metal cools, the bend gets worse, and before your eyes, that
nice neat piece of work becomes a bent, twisted out of shape thing. Now what?
Straightening steel after welding can be a frustrating job. Understanding a few simple tricks can
help you minimize the frustration and save your work without having to start from scratch.
To reshape steel that has suffered distortion during the welding process, we use one of the
following methods.
 Heat Straightening
 Hot Mechanical Straightening
 Hot Working
 Mechanical Straightening
The simple act of heating metal during the welding process causes stresses within the steel that
often lead to distortion or bending. Understanding how the metal reacts to these stresses and
applying a few simple tricks during the welding process can minimize distortion and bending,
making your welding process much faster and more efficient.
Straightening the Bends
Even professional fabricators suffer distortions and bends in their metal. Over the years, many
processes and devices have been devised to remedy these unforeseen problems. Some of these
solutions have stood the test of time and have become standard practice in the industry.
Unfortunately, some of these solutions require special equipment or expertise to be
effective. There are few remedies available to the home hobby metal worker that can be
effective.
Heat Straightening

2. Heat straightening is nothing more than applying more heat to the distorted part and allowing the
natural action of the heating and cooling to bring the deformation back into a more natural
position. There are downsides to this process.
To accomplish heat straightening, you must apply controlled heat to the proper places on the
metal gradually to allow the metal to expand and shrink. Careful observation of the effects of the
heating will allow you to make adjustments to the location and the amount of heat applied to
further the process.
An oxyacetylene torch is the usual tool to perform the heat straightening. If you are going to try
using an oxyacetylene torch to straighten the metal, take care, and avoid raising the temperature
of the metal past the point where molecular changes begin to occur.
You must also remember that you are not heating the metal to reshape it. The idea is to heat the
metal and then allow it to cool. The natural internal stresses that this heating and cooling, when
properly applied, can return the metal to its original non-distorted shape.
Heat straightening is not a symmetrical process, nor is will it ever return a welded piece of metal
to its original shape. About the best you can hope for is to move the metal to a less distorted
shape without compromising its strength or structural integrity.
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